Page 118 - TrumpsEconEra_Flat

Chapter 4: Government Overreach

planning to stop offering individual ACA plans entirely.
Humana has lost millions of dollars on their ACA
involvement. A part of President Trump’s economic
agenda would be to return America’s health care system
to a market-driven program.

UNREASONABLE POLLUTION LAWS

If a business owner has a social conscience and
invests in anti-pollution devices, costs increase, forcing
an increase in prices, giving competitors an advantage.
Consequently, a company will choose to pollute to keep
costs down. The government can solve the problem
only when it regulates all polluters. However, what
happens when the regulations are too harsh? What
happens when policymakers have little knowledge of
economics and ignore growth? Government policies can
hinder productivity by raising costs, entangling
businesses in excessive regulations, and encourage rent-
seeking by large firms.
Coal-fired plants currently provide power for one-
half of the population, yet the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) has forced many coal-fired
power plants to shut down because it supports
alternative energy sources like solar power, natural gas,
and wind power.
President Trump signed a long-promised
executive order nullifying Obama’s climate change
efforts. Mr. Trump made clear that the United States
had no intention of meeting the commitments of his
predecessor to curb carbon dioxide, a critical plant food,
turning denials of climate change into national policy.

-117-